Succotash Chowder

Who has two thumbs and seems to get the most unfortunate colds midsummer? This hot lukewarm mess, right here. Hi. Lately, I seem to breeze through winters with barely a sniffle, and when I do find myself lying in bed and confessing to the bottle of OJ I’m snuggling that I want to die, it just happens to be July.

The bright side of this particular bout of The Ickies was discovering that I may be psychic, as I made soup right before it hit me. Soup in July–I know. But: it’s corn. Quintessential summer food, from the farmers’ market. You don’t even have to get yourself sick to enjoy it, but if you do, add enough hot sauce to choke a (small to medium) black bear. It’ll make you feel alive again.

So, like I said: corn. Only three of these went into this soup; their friend waltzed right into a batch of waffles. I just like symmetry.

Like corn, succotash itself is an American staple. It’s a dish that consists primarily of corn and beans, and translates into a chowder very well.

Combined with potatoes, herbs and milk, corn becomes a chowder that makes a hearty and satisfying meal that is as rich as you would like it to be (this depends on how rich you go with the milk; as usual, I stayed on the light side with unsweetened almond milk).

We cook vegetables, add milk, season and enjoy–as chunky or smooth as you would like. Nothing but good stuff here.

Oh! And if you use almond milk like I did, this is vegan. I always forget to drop the v-bomb when I happen to make vegan things.

P.S. I’m feeling better. Odwalla Citrus C Monsters are essentially my lifesavers, but I think rebranding them as Citrus SEA MONSTERS would be kind of awesome, as evidenced by this doodle. (No, I don’t have friends; why do you ask?)

Cover the beans completely with water and soak for about 4 hours. Drain, then cook in a large pot with plenty of water for 40 or so minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in the large pot over medium heat; add corn, onion, garlic, celery, potatoes and herbs. Saute, stirring occasionally, and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and the potatoes are tender, about 15-25 minutes depending on how large the chunks are and how hot your stove is.

Stir in the cooked lima beans and add the milk; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as is, or puree some of the soup in a blender or food processor. Top with additional herbs to serve, if desired. Serves 6-8.

Comments

It’s so random you live in Reno…I never met any other food bloggers when I lived there! I’ll actually be back there at the end of this month and for the first 2 weeks of September, I can’t wait. Maybe we could even meet up for coffee or lunch or something?

Oh, this looks really tasty. I kept waking up last night with a sore throat too – and I keep making things in my crock-pot. Whatevs. I have a zucchini-corn chowder I’ve been wanting to make too, now I can’t decide between that one and this one! LOVE the doodle too – are you and artiste too??